We fight. We write. A blog to help authors continue on their journey.

Why You Should Treat Your Writing Like a Mortgage

This post won’t be long. It’s a statement. I wrote out a 5-year plan, while the plan itself is daunting as hell, it’s made easier with daily goals. It’s not a complicated day-to-day, honestly. One day a week I will manage my finances, pay bills, send business e-mails, and write a blog post. The other six days a week I write a certain amount. It can be writing novels or a query letter. Doesn’t matter. It’s a number I know I can hit. If I can complete each task every day, it’ll mean two things:

I’ll contribute an insane amount of work to my writing career.

By the end of the 5-year plan, I’ll be a New York Times Bestselling Author.

I want to succeed. I want to be the reason people buy tickets to a convention. I’m going to get there by doing something bold: committing to the hardest 5 years of my writing career I’ve ever seen.

I’m approaching it like a mortgage payment. You don’t get to skip out on payments. If you do you’re evicted. The difference between a mortgage and this is I love making these payments. But at the same time, it holds me accountable. I owe my success this investment. If I miss a payment, I have to make up for the lost payment with a 25% interest payment. I’m investing in myself, in my writing, in what I truly want in my life. And thankfully the payments involve doing what I love, so I have no qualms about mandating this for myself.

I’m investing in myself, in my writing, in my success, in what I truly want in my life. And thankfully the payments involve doing what I love, so I have no qualms about mandating this for myself.

You can tell me that’s not possible. That there are factors I cannot control to achieve the second part of my prediction. That’s fine. You’re allowed to say it. However, I’m moving as if it’s an inevitability and I know I’m going to achieve this goal. And once these 5-years are over, I’m not stopping. It’ll be a new 5-year plan to take my career even further.

Here’s why. I had one of the most reassuring moments of my life. I went to a bookstore near me. Going to the Science Fiction section, I looked at this:

Guess what? That’s my shelf space. And you can be damned sure I’m coming for it. I won’t do it by shoving Alan Dean Foster, Pat Frank, or any other authors to the side. If anything, I want to join them. Find welcoming company among the best authors in the world.

The next 5 years will prove that’s true. There are exciting announcements coming, and if you’d like to come along I’d be happier than Godzilla attacking a nuclear power plant (he recharges with that if you didn’t know).

I was at Myths and Legends Con this past weekend, and finished with a panel on Overcoming Creative Fears. Chaz Kemp, Sam Knight, and I had an incredible conversation. Our fourth panelist, Sarin Tatroe, shared the video embedded below because it covers one of our key topics from that panel: what will you feel when you look back at your life?

So come along, follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or subscribe here. Additional announcements and new adventures are coming in the next 5 years and I’m eager to share them with you.